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On this day…… 24th May 1941: Sink the Hood….

On the 24th of May, an epic sea battle remembered in the annals of Naval history took place between the German ship Bismark, and the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Hood. The Hood, referred to as “the embodiment of British sea-power and the British Empire between the wars.” was to lose its place in the Royal Navy’s fleet that day, with the loss of 1421 men, the whole crew, barring three!

In the early hours of 24 May, the two opposing fleets engaged one another. Thirteen miles from one another, opened fire, the noise, which could be heard in Iceland, was deafening. The battle lasted merely twenty minutes and both the Bismarck and the Prince of Wales took direct hits, but it was the fate of the Hood that stunned the world. A shell from the Bismarck hit the Hood on its vulnerable upper deck, tore through the ship and penetrated its ammunition room, causing an almighty explosion.

In Britain, a nation reeled in shock, stunned by the loss of the Hood demanded swift and brutal vengeance, Churchill, issued his famous battle cry: “Sink the Bismarck!”…………